Cross box side mount umbrella bracket

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods provide an umbrella holder bracket that is capable of being side-mounted to a telecommunications cabinet or to an electrical cabinet. The bracket of the telecommunications cabinet provides the means to position an umbrella for increased environmental protection of the cabinet, the hardware and equipment contained within the cabinet, and increased access of the surrounding work area.

[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its figures contain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications, and, in particular, to a side-mounted, umbrella holder bracket for telecommunication cabinets.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] In the telecommunications or electronics industry, it is common practice to locate free-standing hardware and equipment outdoors. Typically, this hardware and equipment includes a surrounding cabinet to protect from ambient weather and other environmental conditions. As used herein, the term “cabinet” includes terminals, closures, enclosures, housings, and other devices used to protect outdoor telecommunications and/or electrical hardware and equipment. Cabinets may be polygon or non-polygonally shaped and constructed of any appropriate material, such as, for example, metal, polymer, plastic, ceramic, glass, crystal, and/or combinations thereof.

[0006] Occasionally, it is necessary for technicians to service this hardware and equipment. When service is required during adverse weather conditions, the hardware and equipment needs protection while the cabinet doors are open. Typically, the technician and the hardware and equipment are protected by a large umbrella which is held or otherwise supported by the technician over an open cabinet. The umbrella also protects a work area in front of the open cabinet. However, it is during such adverse weather conditions that positioning of the umbrella over the cabinet is a most difficult procedure to follow. For instance, such umbrellas are usually employed during windy and rainy conditions that make their controlled maneuverability by a single person (e.g., the technician) very difficult, tiring and time-consuming. Further, the technician does not have a great deal of room to work under the umbrella and frequently must use one hand to assist in securing the position of the umbrella, thus making it more difficult for the technician to gain access to the hardware and equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] This invention addresses the above-described and other needs by providing an umbrella holder bracket that is capable of being side-mounted to a telecommunications cabinet or to an electrical cabinet. This invention provides for a telecommunications cabinet having the means to hold an umbrella that increases the environmental protection of the cabinet and of the hardware and equipment contained within the cabinet and increases access of the surrounding work area. Further, the bracket includes means to securely position or engage the umbrella or another appropriate object within the bracket.

[0008] In an embodiment, this invention includes a bracket for a telecommunications cabinet that has a hollow, upwardly extending open passageway having a generally cylindrical side portion, a substantially planar base portion, a top, and a bottom. The bracket includes means for mounting the substantially planar base portion of the bracket to a side wall of the telecommunications cabinet, such as, for example a pair of substantially planar arms extending outwardly from the base portion that may be secured to the cabinet with nuts, bolts, screws, rivets, welding, and other means known in the art. The passageway comprises an aperture (e.g., an opening) for receiving a first end of a generally cylindrical section of an umbrella pole. Typically, the first end of the umbrella pole is positioned in the aperture and a second end of the umbrella pole having an umbrella portion provides protection from precipitation and sun when the umbrella portion is opened. The bracket may include a locking mechanism to secure the umbrella pole into a desired position within the passageway.

[0009] In another embodiment, this invention includes the telecommunications cabinet having a plurality of side walls, a top, and at least one door providing access to an interior of the cabinet, a bracket having a hollow, upwardly extending open passageway, a generally cylindrical side portion, a substantially planar base portion, a top, and a bottom, and means for mounting the substantially planar base portion to one of the plurality of side walls of the telecommunications cabinet. The interior of the cabinet houses hardware and equipment for sending and receiving telecommunications signals.

[0010] Finally, this invention includes a method of supporting an umbrella that includes positioning a generally cylindrical section of an umbrella pole into the above-described bracket of a side wall of the telecommunications cabinet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above and other embodiments, objects, uses, advantages, and novel features of this invention are more clearly understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying figures, in which:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a front view of a telecommunications cabinet having an umbrella holder bracket and having an umbrella positioned within the holder bracket according to an embodiment of this invention;

[0013]FIG. 2A is a side view of a telecommunications cabinet having the umbrella holder bracket of FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 2B is a side view of a telecommunications cabinet illustrating another configuration of an umbrella holder bracket having the umbrella positioned within a holder bracket to a stop location at or near the ground according to an embodiment of this invention;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of a telecommunications cabinet illustrating another configuration of an umbrella holder bracket according to an embodiment of this invention;

[0016] FIGS. 4A-4B are perspective top and side view of an umbrella holder bracket for a telecommunications cabinet according to an embodiment of this invention; and

[0017]FIG. 5 is a perspective side view of an umbrella holder bracket for a telecommunications cabinet according to an embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] This invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure). Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the schematics and the like represent conceptual views of illustrative structures embodying this invention.

[0019] In the claims hereof any element expressed as a means for performing a specified function is intended to encompass any way of performing that function including, for example, a combination of elements that performs that function. The invention as defined by such claims resides in the fact that the functionalities provided by the various recited means are combined and brought together in the manner that the claims call for. Applicant thus regards any means that can provide those functionalities as equivalent as those shown herein.

[0020] This invention is directed to umbrella holder bracket that is capable of being side-mounted to a telecommunications cabinet or to an electrical cabinet. This invention provides for a telecommunications cabinet having the means to hold an umbrella that increases the environmental protection of the cabinet and of the hardware and equipment contained within the cabinet and that increases access to the work area surrounding the cabinet. Further, this invention includes the resulting cabinet (i.e., the cabinet with the bracket attached) and a method of supporting an umbrella that includes positioning an umbrella pole into the bracket.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the design of an umbrella holder bracket 100 is based on a conventional design of a telecommunications cabinet 110. For example, the Universal Series Cross-Connect Cabinet manufactured by Marconi Communications (Marconi Communications, 4350 Weaver Parkway, Warrenville, Ill. 60555, 630-579-5000, www.marconi.com) is one example of an existing telecommunications cabinet that may be retrofitted with the umbrella holder bracket 100. While a conventional cabinet design is shown, a variety of cabinets, even those already installed in the field, can easily be upgraded to include the umbrella holder bracket 100. Frequently, these upgrades can be made without disturbing the interior telecommunications hardware and equipment or the connections between the routing cable and/or wires. The upgrades are typically made by welding or otherwise securing the umbrella holder bracket to a side wall of the cabinet (as shown in FIG. 3).

[0022] As shown by FIGS. 1 and 2A, a free-standing item of telecommunications hardware and equipment comprises the cabinet 110 secured to the ground. As depicted, the cabinet 110 has a rectangular or square-shape; however, as one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates, the cabinet 110 may take on a variety of shapes. The cabinet 110 is provided with at least one access door 111 at its front, a top 112, a bottom portion 113, a pair of side walls 114, and a back wall 210. For maintenance and other service purposes, the umbrella holder bracket 100 is provided for positioning an umbrella 120 over the cabinet 110 to cover a work area immediately in front of the at least one door 111. The umbrella holder bracket 100 allows a technician to have hands-free environmental protection over the hardware and equipment when the door 111 is open. In use of the prior art, it was necessary for the technician to position and support the umbrella while working on the hardware and equipment, making it especially difficult in windy and adverse weather conditions for the technician to work with both hands and/or to protect the hardware and equipment.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the umbrella holder bracket 100 may be secured to the side wall 114 of the cabinet 110 using bolts. FIG. 3 illustrates that the umbrella holder bracket 100 may also be secured to the side wall 114 of the cabinet by welding. As one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates, the means of attaching the holder bracket 100 to the cabinet may include a variety of well know elements in the art including screws, nuts, rivets, clamps, adhesive, magnets, and the like.

[0024] As shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the umbrella holder bracket 100 includes a hollow, upwardly extending open passageway 410 having a generally cylindrical side wall 420, a substantially planar base portion 430, a top 440, and a bottom 450. The passageway 410 defines an aperture for receiving a first end of a generally cylindrical section of an umbrella pole (shown as reference numeral 125 in FIG. 1). The umbrella holder bracket 100 further includes a pair of substantially planar arms 460 extending outwardly from the base portion 430, opposite the generally cylindrical side portion 420. The pair of substantially planar arms 460 includes means for fastening the pair of substantially planar arms to the side wall. As depicted in the FIGS. 4A and 4B, the fastening means include holes 465 for screws, nuts, or bolts to secure the bracket 100 to the side wall 114 of the cabinet 110 Further, the umbrella holder bracket 100 may be manufactured using any appropriate material that can withstand a wide range of temperatures, humidity, moisture, and other environmental conditions. For example, the bracket 100 can be formed of G90 galvanized steel having a durable finish coating, such as polyurethane powder. Alternatively, the bracket 100 could be constructed of other appropriate metal, polymer, plastic, ceramic, glass, crystal, and combinations thereof. If the bracket is made from a conductive material, an existing ground (not shown) of the cabinet 110 may be used to ground the bracket 100.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the diameter 425 of the passageway 410 is approximately one and a half (1½) inches, the length 435 of the base portion 430 including the arms 460 is approximately six (6) inches, the thickness 467 of the base portion 430 is approximately one-fourth ({fraction (1/4)}) of an inch, and the length 427 of the cylindrical side wall 420 is approximately two and three-eighths (2⅜) inches. Alternatively, as one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates, these measurements may vary so long as the bracket 100 supports the umbrella 120 in a generally upright position when the umbrella pole 125 is positioned in the bracket 100.

[0026] As further illustrated in FIG. 4B, the umbrella holder bracket 110 includes a locking pin assembly 470 and locking passageways 475 located parallel to the base portion 430. The locking pin assembly 470 acts as a locking mechanism to fix or secure the umbrella pole 125 at a desired position such that the technician could control the elevation of the umbrella portion of the umbrella 120 (such as for taller technicians). Alternatively, the locking pin assembly 470 may be used to in the locked position to support other objects, such as a flashlight, in the passageway 410. FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4; however, an umbrella holder bracket 500 includes a thumbscrew 570, a nut 578, and a passageway 575 instead of the locking pin assembly 470 of FIG. 4. The passageway 575 is preferably threaded. Similar to the locking pin assembly 470, the thumbscrew 570, nut 578, and passageway 575 act as a locking mechanism to fix or secure the umbrella pole 125 at a desired position such that the technician could control the elevation of the umbrella portion of the umbrella 120 (such as for taller technicians).

[0027] In addition to the above embodiments, this invention includes a method of supporting an umbrella using the above described brackets. The method includes positioning a generally cylindrical section of an umbrella pole in a bracket to a side wall of the telecommunications cabinet. Still further, this invention includes the resulting telecommunications cabinet with the umbrella holder bracket attached.

[0028] Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For example, the substantially planar base 430 of the bracket 100 may take on alternate shapes, such that they may be curved, flexible, or otherwise designed to extend about a curved surface. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. 

What is claimed is: 1 A bracket for a telecommunications cabinet, comprising: a hollow, upwardly extending open passageway having a generally cylindrical side portion, a substantially planar base portion, a top, and a bottom; means for mounting the substantially planar base portion to a side wall of the telecommunications cabinet, wherein the passageway defines an aperture for receiving a first end of a generally cylindrical section of an umbrella pole. 2 The bracket of claim 1, wherein the means for mounting the substantially planar base portion to the side wall of the telecommunications cabinet comprises a pair of substantially planar arms extending outwardly from the base portion, opposite the generally cylindrical side portion. 3 The bracket of claim 2, wherein the pair of substantially planar arms and the base portion have a length of about six inches. 4 The bracket of claim 2, wherein the pair of substantially planar arms and the base portion have a thickness of about one-fourth inch. 5 The bracket of claim 2, wherein the means for mounting the substantially planar base portion to a side wall of the telecommunications cabinet further comprises means for fastening the pair of substantially planar arms to the side wall. 6 The bracket of claim 1, wherein the means for mounting the substantially planar base portion to the side wall comprises at least one of the following: a nut; a bolt; a screw; a rivet; and welding. 7 The bracket of claim 1, the passageway having a diameter of about one and a half inches. 8 The bracket of claim 1, the generally cylindrical side portion having a width of about two and three-eighths inches. 9 The bracket of claim 1, further comprising: a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism capable of securing the umbrella pole in a desired position within the passageway. 10 The bracket of claim 9, wherein the locking mechanism comprises at least one of a pin and a thumbscrew. 11 A method of supporting an umbrella, comprising: positioning a generally cylindrical section of an umbrella pole in a bracket of a side wall of the telecommunications cabinet, the bracket comprising a hollow, upwardly extending open passageway including a generally cylindrical side portion, a substantially planar base portion, a top, and a bottom, wherein the passageway defines an aperture for receiving a first end of the generally cylindrical section of the umbrella pole. 12 The method of claim 11, wherein the bracket further comprises means for mounting the substantially planar base portion to the side wall of the telecommunications cabinet. 13 The method of claim 12, wherein the means for mounting the substantially planar base portion to the side wall of the telecommunications cabinet comprises a pair of substantially planar arms extending outwardly from the base portion, opposite the generally cylindrical side portion. 14 The method of claim 12, wherein the means for mounting the substantially planar base portion to a side wall of the telecommunications cabinet further comprises means for fastening the pair of substantially planar arms to the side wall. 15 The method of claim 11, further comprising: engaging a locking mechanism to secure the umbrella pole in a desired position within the passageway. 16 telecommunications cabinet, comprising: a plurality of side walls, a top, and at least one door providing access to an interior of the cabinet, wherein the interior of the cabinet houses hardware and equipment for sending and receiving telecommunications signals; a bracket having a hollow, upwardly extending open passageway, a generally cylindrical side portion, a substantially planar base portion, a top, and a bottom; means for mounting the substantially planar base portion to one of the plurality of side walls of the telecommunications cabinet, wherein the passageway defines an aperture for receiving a first end of a generally cylindrical section of an umbrella pole. 